Crumb-sweeper



- M-FRANKEL W. AISENSTEIN AND J. A. OBERMAIER.

C RUMB SWEEPER. APPLICATION man JAN.29, 1919.

1,371,615. Patented Mar. 15,1921.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MORTIMER FRANKEL, WILLIAM AISENSTEIN, AND JOHN ANTHONY OB ERMAIER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO WILMORT MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CRUMB-SWEEPER.

Application filed January 29, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MORTIMER FRANKEL, WILLIAM Arsnnsrnm and JOHN ANTHONY OBERMAIER, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and'State of Illinois,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Crumb- Sweepers, of which the following is a specification. 1

Our invention relates to crumb sweeper and has for its particular object the provision ofa crumb sweeper adapted to gather crumbs and small particles of food from a table cloth covering the top'of a table, and without any manner of injury to the table cloth as by causing lint to be removed from the surface of the table cloth, and at no time requiring downward pressure on the crumb sweeper, but merely necessitating the pushing or. pulling of same.

Another and further object of the invention is to provide acrumb sweeper having a revoluble brush'which can be readily removed without disturbing the brush operating means, as in service particles of food become lodged in the brush making it desirable to occasionally remove the brush, in order to thoroughly clean it, and also if the brush should become worn ordamaged, it is possible to readily renew it, because of the ease with which it can bejremoved, and a new brush inserted in its place.

-Another and further object of the invention is to provide a device which is simple in construction in addition to efiicient in operation, and by virtue of this simplicity of construction and exceedingly few parts to secure a device which will maintain in ef-' ficient operation for a long time, and which permits ofjbeing readily and thoroughly cleaned, which is of importance with regard to a device that'is used about a table.

These and other objects of the invention will be further "and better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings and inwhich--- Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the general plan of our invention with the cover removed; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectonalviewthrough the sweeper on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and I Fig." 3. is a sectional'view on line,33 of Fig.1. Referring now specifically to the draw- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

Serial No. 278,925.

ings and in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout, 10 is a frame member consisting of a single casting in the form of an open topped pan having one pair of double end walls at each end respectively, 11, 12 and 13, 14, and a projection 15 on one side to which an operating handle 16 is secured in any suitable manner, the end walls and projection 15 being integral with said frame member 10. The inner and outer end walls, at each end of the pan define a gear compartment which is open throughout its top. Extending transversely of the pan 10 between the inner end walls 12, 13 is an opening 12 within which a rotary spiral brush 30 (hereinafter described) is mounted. Mounted in the gear compartments defined by each pair of end walls of the member 10 are two traction wheels 17, 18 and 19,20 respectively, each ofsaid wheels being mounted upon members 21, 21 whichextendthrough the outer end walls 11, 14, of the frame 10, the members 21, 21 having threaded ends which extend into threaded engagement with the inner end Walls 12 and 13 respectively, the

members 21, 21 thus serving'as' axles upon which the traction wheels rotate. Each of the wheels 17, 18, 19 and 20 comprises a gear portion 22 and a flat or hub portion 23 around which a tread member of rubber or other suitable material is fitted, in order to secure the necessary traction, and in order that any surface upon which the-crumb sweeper may be placed will not be marred. Mounted upon axles 31 and 32 respectively are gear wheels 25 and 26, each of said gear wheels being in mesh with the gear portion of the traction wheels adjacent thereto. Each of the gear wheels 25, 26 is composed of hub portions 27 and 28, within which the axle 29 of the spiral brush is mounted, the portions 27 and 28 of the wheels 25 and 26 extending through the inner end walls 12 and 13 respectively of the frame member 10. The inner end walls 12and 13 are provided with upright slots 12 and 13' respectively openingthrough the tops of said endwalls, and the hubs 27 and 28 are accommodated in these slots. Through the outer end walls 11 and 14 extend a pair of threaded members 31 and 32, the inside ends of which'are reduced in diameter so as to serveas'axles for the gear wheels 25 and 26, when assembled as above described with the spiral brush 30. Inwardly extending integrally reinforcing projections 33,34 are formed upon the inside of the outer end walls 11 and 14: in order to strengthen the mounting for the threaded members, 31, 32, which are held in threaded engagement with the outer end walls 11 and 14 in the projections 33 and 34.

Extending along the marginal edges of the transverse opening 12 within which the spiral brush 30 is mounted. is a pair of. vertically extending ribs 35, 36, integral with said frame memberv 10, and with a pair of vertical extending reinforcing ribs 35 and 35" at each of their ends, the said ribs being formed integrally with the inner end walls l2'an'd 13 and the upright members 35, 36,

and serve to strengthen the inside end walls 12 and 13. The object of the ribs 35, 36 of the member 10 is to form a pair of transversely extending troughs or pockets 37 and 38 on each side of the rotating spiral brush desired.

within which the crumbs and particles of food are lodged bythe rotation of the brush. These members may be merely flanges as shownor may be made as high as The outside lower surfaces of the troughs or pockets 37 and'38 are so shaped that the outside edges form with the upright members and'36, the nearest portions of the frame member '10 to thefsurface over which the crumb sweeper may be manipulated, all" other portions ofthe frame member--'10jbeing farther awayfrom the surtion of the movement of the sweeper, and

the brush in rotating sweeps crumbs and particles of food and lodges them within the transversely extending troughs orpockets 37 and 38 formed in the member 10. By backing off the screw threaded axles 31 and 32 until they clear the sockets in the brush gears 25 and 26, the brush 30 with the gears 25 and 26 thereon'may be lifted and removed from the pan without disturbing the supporting wheels 17, 18, 19 and 20 and .the gears carried thereby. It will now be understood that the open topped slots 12' and 13 accommodate hubs 27 and 28' when in-' serting and removingthe brush; The removability of the brush is an important feature of the presentinvention, as it frequently becomes necessary to remove the brush for cleaning the same, and the removal may be accomplished without in any mannerdisturbing the brush operating means, inasmuch as the brush gears25 and 26 readily go into and come out of-mesh with the driving gears without requiring any removal or displacement of the latter.

It -'will be noted that the traction part of the wheels extends to a slightly lower level than that reached by the brush. This is for thereasonthat it'is commont'o-use a pad under the table cloth or covering for the table so that a slightallowance is necessary to allow the" wheels to sink into the cover, thus allowing the ends of the'bristles or face over which the crumb sweeper may be spiral'brush to come in contact with the top 100 actuated than these two edges. This means that no portion of the bottom of the frame f fitting in between the-outer end walls '11, 14:

and is held in position by frictional engagement withfthesurfaces 40 and 41 of the member 10,,the cover being curved andhaving a slight spring actlon so as to be held securely in position. The member 10 is provided with thumb depressions so as to make it more convenient to remove the cover vertical; slot intersecting the top of thew'all,

member 39, so as to, provide means for emptying crumbs out of the crumb sweeper. "The method of operation of the device is very simple, the sweeper being placed upon the, surface of the table cloth and. then Jnoved back and forth, the handof the operator grasping the handle 16. The wheels being thus revolved will transmit their motion through the set of gear wheels to the spiral brush 30, which, asthe sweeper is moved back and forth, rotates, its direction of rotaof the table cloth to be cleaned.

cisely the details of construction, we donot wish to be understood as limiting ourselves thereto, as we contemplate changes in form and the proportion ofparts and the/substitutionxof equiv'alents as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing'from the spirit or scope of our inven* tion. 7

lVe claim 2" 1. A crumb sweeper comprising an open topped pan havin ginner end walls, respective inner and outer end walls defining gear compartments which are open at their tops, the bottom of the pan being provided with a brush-opening extending between the inner end walls, each inner'end wall having a each gear compartment, each wheel extending downwardly through an opening in the bottom of the compartment and having a gear in mesh with the adjacent brush gear, endwise removable brush axles extending through the outer end walls and having their inner ends rotatably supporting the brush gears, and a removable cover closing the top of the pan and the gear compartments. 7

2. A crumb sweeper comprising a single casting in the form of an open topped pan having front, backand outer and inner end walls rising from the bottom of the 'pan, the respective inner and outer end walls defining gear compartments which are open at their tops, the bottom of the pan being provided with a brush-opening extending between the inner end walls, integral ribs extending along the edges of the brush opening, the ribs and the respective front and back walls of the pan defining troughs, each inner end wallhaving a central vertical slot intersecting the top edge thereof, the bottom of each gear compartment having openings,

each outer end wall having an interiorly threaded boss on its inner face and in alinewall, a rotatable brush within the pan and extending downwardly through the brush opening, gears upon the ends of the brush and in the respective gear compartments, each gear having a hub working in the slot in the adjacent inner end wall, the brush with its gears thereon being bodily insertible and removable through the open top of the pan, removable brush axles having threaded engagement with the threaded bosses and rotatably supporting the brush gears, each axle being accessible at the exterior of the pan to permit insertion and removal of the axle, supporting wheels within the gear compartments and extending downwardly through the openings in the bottoms thereof each wheel having a gear in mesh with the adjacent brush gear, the brush with its gears thereon being insertible and removable while the supporting wheels and their gears are in place, and a removable cover closing the top of the pan and the tops of the gear compartments.

Signed at Chicago in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 25th day of January, A. D. 1919.

MORTIMER FRANKEL. WVILLIAM AISENSTEIN. JOHN ANTHONY OBERMAIER. 

